You Are My Sunshine
by Bambie-Lesbian
Summary: Tamaki Amajaki is a socially anxious, depressed college student working at the local family run coffee shop. Things had been going decent for him until a new flower shop opens next door and the store's owner's son comes into his life. Mirio Togata almost seems too bright for him. Bright like the sun almost. Coffee Shop/Flower Shop AU, Normal AU
1. Chapter 1

**I can't believe I'm coming back to this website after years of lurking. This is my first attempt at publishing fanfiction in over 3-4 years I think? I have short stuff on my computer though, that I would never dare put onto a public place such as this or Tumblr. I'm really nervous about this because I have become really shy about my writing recently, but this is the first piece of fanfiction that I've actually felt comfortable posting. Please let me know what you think of it. I'm posting this first chapter as almost a "dip my toes into the water" situation to see how it goes. If it goes well, then it will also being going onto other writing platforms as well. Thanks in advance for reading!**

Tamaki sighed tiredly as the door of coffee shop he worked in opened, signaling the official start to his work day. He hated opening shifts, but since he was full time for the summer, he was practically required to. As his boss took this customer's order, he started a fresh pot of just plain, black coffee, as he had ever since he started working morning shifts. His moves were very autopilot, giving him the ability to think freely, though he didn't have much to think about.

Truth be told, he would have preferred it if he didn't have to work at all, but seeing as he was a junior in college with no other source of income, he didn't have a choice. The job itself wasn't bad, the atmosphere was nice and he enjoyed the smell of coffee, but he had awful social anxiety. Despite being at this job for over two years, he still couldn't force himself to interact with anybody save for his co workers and a few select others. On top of this, he also had horrible general anxiety and minor depression, causing him to isolate from others to be able to cope. All of this would account for his lack of friends and his nonexistent social life outside of work and school.

He poured a cup of the coffee for the customer when the pot was ready and put the pot back so it could stay warm. The customer left the shop after receiving her drink and it was empty again. Despite the shop being in a busier part of town, it was still rather empty. Since it was a family run business and there were other shops lining the street, they weren't as busy as they could have been. Tamaki stared absentmindedly outside as he cleaned up a bit from when he was making the coffee. He spaced out so hard that he jumped when he felt his boss' hand touch his shoulder.

"Oh Tamaki, it's just me dear." Tamaki looked down at his boss sheepishly. She was the one who owned the shop. She was a sweet, older woman, and a single mother of two twin daughters, who she tended to brag about often. Tamaki relaxed when he realized that he wasn't being reprimanded for staring into space again.

"What is it, Ma?" He asked. Ma was the nickname one of his co workers had given her. It fit her perfectly as she was practically the mother of the shop. He watched her step back a few steps now that she had his attention.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, dear. You seem a bit more tired than usual, and I was just a bit worried." She frowned and bit her lip. She understood his history with his mental illnesses, and was always on top of making sure he was okay. Tamaki panicked as he realized he made her worried and quickly shook his head.

"I-I'm fine! Really! It's just been so hot outside recently, that I haven't been able to sleep very well. That's all!" He quickly explained himself. It was partially true. That and the fact that after work, he just goes home to play video games until late. His excuse seemed to win her over though as Ma quickly regained her smile.

Oh good! You should have let me know sooner! I have a spare fan at home you can borrow for the rest of the summer!" She replied and walked off before Tamaki could argue it. She turned around quickly though, as if to add another point. "Oh! And I just want to ask again if you wanted to date either of my daughters. They're going into college this year, you know?"

Tamaki just rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile a bit. She would always ask, despite his answer every time. "I'm still into guys, Ma."

He could almost hear the shrug in her voice as she turned away to tend to a customer that had walked in while they were talking. "Oh well. The offer still stands regardless."

He just shook his head and went back to work. The morning shift dragged on and it started getting busier. Luckily, as it was hitting peak hours, two more employees joined the two already there. Mina Ashido and Tooru Hagakure clocked in quickly and took their respective places either at the register or in the back area making drinks.

These were the other two co workers that Tamaki associated with, though not enough to really refer to them as friends. Mina was a lot like Ma in that she was loudly passionate about anything she did. She was only a high school senior, but she was already a talented aspiring artist, with vivid pink hair to prove it. Tamaki found that she would talk more to him than him to her. Tooru on the other hand, was much quieter like he was. She was a bit more plain looking compared to Mina's wild appearance, but she stood out enough. What really caught him off guard was that she was a cheerleader. She really was just a quiet worker, and her boyfriend tended to scare Tamaki whenever he came in, so it was a surprise when she told him about it. He would never have noticed anyway, since he never attended any college activities she would attend, such as the football games.

Just as Tooru came in to take over for him at the register, he clocked out for his break. The first thing he did was step outside to the alley next to the shop. He was warm from the coffee, but didn't want to be seen by the people walking on the street. He closed his eyes and leant against the brick wall of the shop as he took the moment to cool down a bit. Well. As much as could for the middle of summer. Just before he went back into the shop, some noises from the generally empty store next door stopped him. He hadn't heard about anybody buying the lot, so it piqued his interest enough to check it out. He looked into the street and noticed a large moving van outside of the empty store. Swallowing his fear, he stepped out a bit more to peek into the open store to see multiple boxes piled up. He backed off quickly, but he hadn't seen anybody in the store. He rushed back into the store.

"Hey, Ma? Do you know who's moving in next door?" Tamaki asked as he sat down across from the counter. The woman looked over as the customer she was helping left. She wiped her hands dry.

"Someone is moving in?" She asked in response, a look of confusion on her face. "Now that you mention it, I do think I remember someone coming in to tell me that. I can't for the life of me remember what store it's becoming though."

Tamaki nodded slightly and sighed out. He couldn't help but wonder who was going to be their new neighbors. The last owners of the shop was a nice lesbian couple who owned a craft shop. They had unfortunately gone out of business and it had been empty ever since. Mina's voice brought him out of his musings.

"What if it's a bakery? Imagine all the sweets they could share with us!" She squealed. Tamaki cringed at the noise and avoided looking at her. Tooru couldn't help but get sucked into the excitement of trying to figure out what the new store was as well.

"What if it's an animal salon? Imagine all the cute cats and dogs we would see!" She inquired and he could just hear the smile in her voice. He wouldn't mind seeing dogs pass the store…

"No matter what it is, though, we will all be very welcoming to them." Ma finished the conversation off with her own comment. The other three of them nodded in agreement and got back to work. Tamaki stared down at his phone, the only thing he had for his break. He couldn't be happier to get back to work an hour later.

The rest of the day went smoothly, which was the norm for them. Tamaki closed the shop up with Tooru and the two of them parted ways. He ended up walking past the new shop on the way back to his apartment, so he stopped to see if he could see anything more. The only thing he could really see were the boxes and a single vase of flowers on the counter in the corner. It didn't really tell him much, so he just continued on to his apartment. Much like any other night, he spend the rest of the evening playing video games until he passed out.

* * *

Tamaki groaned as he smacked at his alarm clock the next morning. Once again, he regretted staying up late the previous night. The student got up slowly and got dressed. He grabbed his phone and keys before leaving to open the store. He rubbed at his eyes and made his way to the coffee shop. Being as tired as he was, he almost missed the fact that there were people going in and out of the now occupied store. He paused as he was unlocking the door and looked over at the neighboring shop.

Two men walked out of the back of the moving truck that Tamaki had seen the day before. The first one, and the one that immediately caught his eye, was the tall blonde one with a strong looking physique. He held a box and was talking animatedly to the man next to him. The other man was just as tall, but with darker hair and looked older than the blonde. Tamaki couldn't help but watch them walk towards the door, but he must have been staring too hard as suddenly the two of them had stopped. The blonde suddenly started waving vigorously and Tamaki could feel himself seize up. He mentally kicked himself to quickly unlock the door, not wanting to interact with the two of them so soon. Or without anybody else. He eventually got the door open and he rushed in, locking the door behind himself. The raven haired man ran behind the counter, just in case the blonde man had tried to follow him. Tamaki closed his eyes to try to calm himself down before he got to work opening the store.

"What are you doing?" A voice came from behind him and knocked him from his crouching position to the floor. Tamaki grasped at his chest, trying to calm down from his most recent scare. Looking up, he noticed Mina standing above him, offering a hand.

"M-Mina, w-what are you-?"

"I was supposed to open with you this morning, remember?" She hummed in reply as Tamaki took her offered hand.

"Right…"

"Did you meet the neighbors? They're really nice! Apparently they're the ones occupying the store next to us! And get this...it's going to be a flower shop! If you ask me, a cute college kid and his just as cute dad running a flower shop is like something from a romance novel!" The pink haired girl prattled on. Now he remembered why he didn't know Mina was opening with him. He chose to bury the thought of working with the hyper girl. Still, he couldn't help but think about the neighbor shop.

"Flower shop…?" He couldn't help but be intrigued. It was something that none of them had imagined. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hope it's not too troubling for us…"

"Oh, you need to stop being so pessimistic. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic for all of us." Mina rolled her eyes and walked off to start getting things ready for opening. Tamaki got busy as well, trying to get rid of the thoughts of their new neighbors. He knew he was going to have to meet them someday, but he wanted to hold it off for as long as possible.

Mina made it nearly impossible for him to enjoy the morning quietly. It seemed to drag on for him until Tooru and Ma showed up for the lunch rush hours. He eagerly took his spot making drinks while their boss and Mina took the registers. It was going smoothly until a familiar blonde haired man walked into the shop. Tamaki immediately noticed him, but nervously pretended to be too busy working on a drink to interact with him. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on his side.

"Tamaki? Will you take the register? We have shipment coming in and I need to go clean off to receive it." Ma asked. Tamaki reluctantly stepped up to her post. His face beet red from embarrassment, just as the stranger stepped up to him. His bright smiled made Tamaki's red face go from embarrassment to bashfulness very quickly.

"W-Welcome to the Roast House. W-what can I get you today?" He stammered and forced himself to look up at the man.

"I'll get two small black coffees please! For Mirio Togata!" The man, who now had a name, asked.

Tamaki nodded and put that in, trying his hardest not to be visibly shaking. He started to relax, however, when he realized Mirio wasn't going to bring up that morning's incident. He motioned back towards Tooru the order before letting him know the total.

"T-That is going to be $5.80 today."

Mirio nodded quickly and pulled out the exact amount of change that he needed, which was a rarity for a customer. Regardless, Tamaki took it gratefully and expected the blonde man to move on to get his coffee. Instead, he continued standing in front of the raven-haired student, now leaning on the counter. "I noticed you this morning. I wanted to introduce myself, but you seemed to be in a rush."

Tamaki nearly choked of fear, but forced himself to continue moving, something his therapist had suggested to keep the fear to a minimum. He smiled nervously at Mirio. "I-I apologize for my behavior this morning-"

"It's really no problem! I suppose you have my name now though. I've already met Mina, but I haven't gotten the pleasure of meeting the rest of you guys. That's why I suggested I buy coffee for my dad and I. So I could meet you and see what this place is like!" Mirio seemed to just be radiating happiness as he continued talking.

Tamaki flushed even more, if it was possible at that point. He gulped and unclenched his fists that he hasn't even realized were clenching together. "It's...It's Tamaki Amajiki."

"It's very nice to meet you! I hope we can get to know each other some more in the future!" Mirio grinned at the shorter man. At that point, Tamaki was completely unaware of Ma sneaking up behind him, a devilish grin on her face as she pushed him out from behind the counter.

"As a matter of fact, he's just about to go on break!" She exclaimed. Tamaki bit his lip and tried to keep himself from shaking.

Mirio laughed. "I'm afraid I actually can't stay. My dad is expecting me back anytime now. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

Tamaki sighed in relief as Mirio turned to take the two coffees and waved goodbye as he left. He stood staring for a moment before making his way back behind the counter. He could feel all three of their eyes on him, and even some of the in-house customers. He wanted to cry of embarrassment, but he couldn't at work. He winced as Mina squealed right next to him.

"Hey, Mirio is super cute isn't he? He seemed like he was real interested in getting to know you, Tamaki!" She giggled.

"I-I'm sure he just wants to know all of us...as our new neighbor and all…"

Mina just rolled her eyes and smirked. "Please, he was only looking at you that entire exchange."

"Mina, leave the poor boy alone." Ma chuckled.

Tooru giggled softly behind Tamaki. "Still you can't help but also notice Tamaki's expression too. Are you crushing already?"

Tamaki felt his face heat up once more as he pushed past them all. "I-I think I'm going to go take my break now."

* * *

Mirio had noticed him the very first day. He was getting boxes out of the van, but he saw the curious teen peering into the open store. Before he could make a move, however, the boy fled back into the shop next door. Mirio would have liked to follow him, but his dad caught him with more boxes of supplies, dragging him quickly to the shop..

The next morning, Mirio and his father made sure to get to the store early to maximize their work. His dad wanted to open the store as soon as possible, and he wanted to help his dad do that. However, when they pulled up to the store and he noticed the coffee shop still closed, a sense of disappointment passed through him. He really would have liked to meet the boy from the day before. Instead, he noticed a pink haired girl walking towards them.

As he was carrying a box out of the van he noticed how she had sped up and started waving at them. He and his father sat their boxes down momentarily to greet her. Mirio could tell her cheery demeanor right away and grinned as she jogged up to them.

"Hi! Are you the ones moving into the store? I'm Mina Ashido! I work at the Coffee shop right next door!" Mina introduced herself. Mirio held out a hand and she shook it, along with his father's.

"I'm Mirio Togata, and this is my father. We're opening up a flower shop!" He introduced himself in return. Mina seemed to light up.

"A flower shop? That's so cool! Everybody else will be so excited to know!" She squealed and Mirio couldn't help but chuckle at how excited she seemed to have gotten. Mina skipped back a couple of steps as she put up a hand in goodbye. "Hey, so I need to go and start opening our shop, but you should stop by closer to lunch to meet everybody else!"

"I'd love to." Mirio grinned and picked up his box again. His father had already gone back to working, so as soon as Mina had disappeared, he got back to work as well. They only got a couple more minutes of moving boxes before he recognized a familiar face staring at them. It was the boy from before and he was staring right at them, presumably trying to figure out who they were. He was just standing at the door to the coffee shop, so Mirio started waving at him excitedly to get his attention. The move must have scared the stranger though, as he quickly ducked into the shop. Mirio sighed and stopped waving. "Did I scare him…?"

His father reassured him otherwise and continued into the shop as Mirio continue to muse about what he could have done wrong. He eventually went back to work, but still wanted to find meet the raven haired man. By noon, the two of them had gotten nearly two van's worth of supplies and flowers into the shop.

"Mirio? Why don't you go over and buy us a couple of drinks from the cafe? I'd say we deserve it!" His father suggested as he opened a box of gardening magazines. Mirio nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"Excellent suggestion. I'll be right back!" Mirio grinned and ran off to the coffee shop next door. Just as Mina had told them that morning, there were now four of them working behind the counter. And just his luck, the raven-haired man from before was stepping up to the register just as Mirio was approaching. He held up two fingers as he spoke his order. "I'll get two small black coffees please! For Mirio Togata!"

The man in front of him told him his order and he promptly got the exact amount of change out for him. He noticed there were no other customers in line behind him so he took that chance to chat. "I noticed you this morning. I wanted to introduce myself, but you seemed to be in a rush."

The employee froze for a split second, but Mirio noticed it. "I-I apologize for my behavior this morning-"

Mirio smiled in confusion. Why was he receiving an apology? "It's really no problem! I suppose you have my name now though. I've already met Mina, but I haven't gotten the pleasure of meeting the rest of you guys. That's why I suggested I buy coffee for my dad and I. So I could meet you and see what this place is like!"

It was a couple moments before the flustered man in front of him spoke up again. "It's...It's Tamaki Amajiki."

 _Tamaki Amajiki...I like that name_

Mirio grinned as he walked over to get his coffee. It was clear that his presence was causing Tamaki to feel uncomfortable. "It's very nice to meet you! I hope we can get to know each other some more in the future!"

He, along with Tamaki, hadn't noticed the older woman start to push the kid out from behind the counter. She had a devilish look to her expression. "As a matter of fact, he's just about to go on break!" She exclaimed.

Mirio laughed, not wanting to overstay his welcome. "I'm afraid I actually can't stay. My dad is expecting me back anytime now. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

He watched Tamaki visibly relax. Mirio waved goodbye as he stepped back outside. He couldn't help the grin that quickly spread across his face as soon as he felt the summer heat hit his skin. The blonde haired man smiled up into the sky.

 _Tamaki, huh...I hope I can be your friend!_

* * *

Tamaki sighed as he turned the lock to his apartment, both alarmed and upset that it was already unlocked. He opened the door, expecting the worst, but a shock of red hair quickly eased his worries. It was just his cousin, Kirishima, watching TV on his couch. As the door opened, however, the TV was turned off and Tamaki quickly found himself in the arms of his family.

"Tamaki, you're finally home! I was waiting to eat dinner with you, but I forgot you worked late into the evening. Are you hungry? I brought takeout!"

Kirishima's quick rambling was giving Tamaki a headache, but he couldn't help but smile slightly and nod. He followed the redhead into the kitchen and grabbed a container of takeout while Kirishima took the other and the two of them sat in the pathetic excuse of a dining area that Tamaki had. They barely had started eating before his cousin started grilling him about his day.

"How did it go? How are your coworkers? Is everything still going well?"

"Ah...It was fine. Everyone and Everything is fine...We're actually getting new neighbors…" Tamaki explained, a light blush forming as he thought about the flower shop's new owners. Kirishima was quick to notice it.

"What about these new neighbors? Who are they? Are they cute?" Kirishima asked, and smirked as Tamaki's face grew completely red quickly. The college student tried to keep from choking on his food.

"W-What? N-No way! It's just a father-son duo opening a flower shop next door...I literally just met Mirio today!"

"Ohoho, so you already know his name?" The redhead grinned. He found great pleasure in teasing his cousin, but knew when he was taking things too far. This wasn't too far yet. Especially since he could almost tell by the look on Tamaki's face that this Mirio guy could become a big part of his life. Tamaki fell silent as he ate, but his face was still completely red and flustered. Kirishima didn't say anything more so they could eat, but he wasn't done teasing quite yet. As Tamaki got up to throw his empty container away, the teen spoke up again. "Was it love at first sight~?"

Tamaki froze at the question, but more out of shock. He forced a sigh through his teeth. "You're lucky you have to travel to get here…I get the shower first tonight."

Kirishima wasn't fazed at the passive aggressiveness and just laughed as he cleaned up as well. The two of them turned to video games for a couple hours before Tamaki decided to get up for a shower before he went to sleep. After their nightly routines, and after making sure his cousin was comfortable, he went to lay down himself. One thing still ran through his mind, however.

 _Why can't I stop thinking about Mirio?_

 **The ending is a bit cheesy and a bit rushed, but it's 1 am and I wanted to try to get this story posted before I went to sleep. I was hoping to make it over 5,000 words, but oh well. If this goes well, I'll see about trying to increase word count. I really would like your feedback, like whether or not you actually like it. I said it before, but I'll say it again: Thank you for reading this!**


	2. Chapter 2

p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.34px;"I'm surprised I'm getting this out as soon as I am tbh. I have had a rocky past in consistent updates, so hopefully I can change things up with this one! Thank you for those of you who have left Kudos and comments, and I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! A few new characters are introduced, though they'll be flushed out as the story progresses, I promise!/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio woke up the next morning to the soft light of the grey morning streaming into his bedroom. He checked his alarm clock. 7 am. With a yawn, he rolled out of bed and went to get ready. He got dressed and ran a hand through his hair with some gel, causing his blonde locks to stand up. After he was satisfied with the way he looked, he went to grab a jacket, and after a quick thought, he also grabbed his umbrella. Making sure he had his keys, he left his apartment./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh Mirio? Are you off to the flower shop?" A soft voice spoke up behind him. Mirio spun around and smiled brightly at the source of the voice. It was his neighbor, Inko. The dark green haired woman stood by her door, struggling to lock it as she held her son, Izuku. Mirio was quick to go help her./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I was, ah, actually going to meet my dad to visit my cousin, Eri, before we went to work. Where are you off to?" He replied as he stepped away from locking her door. Inko chuckled tiredly, raising a hand tiredly to her forehead./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you, dear… I was actually on my way to take Izuku to the clinic. He developed a fever the other day, and it hasn't gone away yet. Poor boy has been feeling awful, so I wanted to get to the clinic before it got too busy." She sighed and rubbed Izuku's back. The boy adjusted a bit in her arms. Mirio frowned and rubbed his head gently./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Hang in there, buddy." The blonde stepped away. "I should let you get going, then. Wouldn't want the clinic to fill up so soon. Plus, it looks like it could start raining soon."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Inko sighed in annoyance. "Don't get me started. I looked and looked for our umbrella, but I couldn't find it anywhere!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh? Take mine then!" Mirio immediately offered his own, but she shook her head./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I couldn't do that! You need that."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I insist, please. I wouldn't want you to get sick, or for Izuku to get worse. I won't let you leave without this umbrella." He held it out and Inko reluctantly reached out to take it./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose if you won't let me leave without it...I really do appreciate it, Mirio. I'll bake you some cookies to thank you!" The young mother grinned brightly. Mirio laughed softly as they both started walking to the elevator./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You really don't have to do that."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I inist," Inko smirked and winked at him. The college student rubbed the back of his neck bashfully./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I won't stop you then...actually, if you're not too busy, would you mind making some cookies for our grand opening? We also want the cafe next door to cater some drinks. It would be a good way to start off our business, don't you think?" Mirio explained. Inko lit up at the idea./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think that's a great idea, Mirio! Cookies bring people together. I'll be sure to bake a lot!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He smiled. "Thank you so much, Inko."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The green haired women smiled sweetly and they enjoyed a quiet ride to the bottom floor. From there, the neighbors took their separate paths. Mirio immediately started walking towards the train station. He kept a keen eye on the darkening sky, but it didn't even sprinkle as he fast walked to catch a train. He made it in less time than he thought he would so he bought his ticket and went to sit down. He and his dad were going to meet at the station, but he was the first one there./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He and his dad were going to visit his cousin in the hospital just outside of the town. That was actually why they had moved. His aunt was struggling on her own and needed his father's help both financially and for mental support. Mirio came along since his father was all he had. For their living situations, Mirio chose to live closer to the campus and his father was staying with his sister. The blonde leaned back into the bend and checked his phone. Nothing./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He couldn't help but think back to the day previously. The entire coffee shop staff seemed really nice, but there was something about that Tamaki Amajiki. He was shy, but it was endearing. Not to mention that Tamaki was cute as hell. Mirio blushed at his own thought. Did he really think that someone he just met was cute? How could he not think that, though? The way his black hair fell over his eyes and the faint blush to his cheeks. His voice was so soft too. He quickly realized that he did have a crush on the other man. Mirio had known he was into both boys and girls ever since he was in junior high, but this was his first actual crush on someone of the same gender. The blonde groaned and rubbed his face as he sat back up. It wouldn't go anywhere though if Tamaki was too shy to open up. Mirio knew that if he pushed the other, he wouldn't get anywhere either./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Mirio!" The blonde heard his name being called out and he stood up, smiling as his father approached him. The darker haired man panted a bit and placed a hand on his son's shoulder as he caught his breath. "Sorry I'm so late."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nah, I'm just early is all. The train is just getting here." Mirio smiled and stuffed his hands into his pocket to grab his ticket. "Ready to go?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father grinned and held up his own ticket. "You know it!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The two of them started heading towards their train, which had just pulled into the station. The two of them got onto the train and Mirio forced himself to not think about the coffee shop at all while he was with his father. Not that he would have an issue with his crush, but it wasn't something he was particularly ready to share quite yet. The blonde stared out of the train window as they began moving out of the station and to the edge of town, where his cousin stayed./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki rubbed his eyes as he sat up that next morning. His head was killing him, which was a sure sign it was going to rain that day. Sure enough, when he looked out the windows, dark grey clouds covered the sky. It's not as if he didn't like the rain; in fact he loved it. He just didn't enjoy the thunder and lightning that tended to accompany these summer storms. He reached over to turn off his alarm and got up to get ready for work. The college student actually looked forward to it, seeing as he didn't have to work the whole day. He just hoped he wouldn't have to walk home in the storm. He got dressed and ran a comb through his usually unruly black hair. Tamaki quickly checked on Kirishima, who was no longer in his bedroom. He didn't hear the shower running, so it only meant that his cousin was in the kitchen making breakfast. Tamaki groaned softly and tried to sneak past the kitchen as he made his way to the front door, but Kirishima was quick to notice him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Aren't you going to eat anything, Tamaki?" He asked and Tamaki froze as he reached for the front door./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I, uh, don't really have time to eat...I'll just pick up something before the shop opens…" the raven haired man lied. He typically didn't eat breakfast, and didn't want to spend the money on buying it elsewhere. The teen clicked his tongue./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's no good. My mom wanted me to make sure you were eating while I visited so that's what I'm doing. At least take some toast with you at least."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki knew he could just ignore his cousin and leave, but he wasn't going to do that. Instead he just went and picked up a couple of pieces of toast that Kirishima had already made./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Happy now?" He mumbled as he walked to the door. The redhead grinned, despite the older man not looking at him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I am. I'll make lunch for us since you don't have to work all day!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thanks…" Tamaki smiled lightly and left. He knew his cousin meant well, but he wasn't used to the disruption in his schedule./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"It didn't take him very long to walk to the coffee shop and he already had the two pieces of toast gone. It had made him feel slightly better and his headache was mostly gone. He held his breath as he past the flower shop, ready to fast walk past it, but noticed all the lights were still off and there was no movement coming from within. He released his breath, almost in disappointment that Mirio wasn't there. In the realization of his feelings, Tamaki rushed quickly to unlock his own shop, hoping to get any of those thoughts out of his head. He opened the door quickly, only to realize that Tooru had already done most of the early morning preparations already. He just sighed and went to clock in and grab an apron, no longer in any sort of rush./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The events from the day before still confused him. Meeting Mirio felt different than meeting any other stranger and he couldn't discern whether it was just because they were now shop neighbors, or if it was something more. Regardless, the blonde intrigued Tamaki. And he was scared of these feelings. The dark haired man started freezing up at all of the possible outcomes of if he pursued getting to know Mirio better, most of them ending in rejection. He didn't even realize he was shaking until Tooru called his name from behind him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Tamaki? Are you doing alright?" She asked quietly, knowing better than to startle him too badly. Tamaki slowly relaxed and turned to her./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm okay...heh, I guess I really haven't been doing well recently since I did this yesterday too...I'll try my best to stay alert today." He replied bashfully. Tooru just grinned softly./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Don't push yourself, okay?" She asked and went to start a pot of coffee. He just nodded absently and went back to preparing the register for the day. He enjoyed opening the store with her. They were both able to work silently with the radio playing softly in the background and the smell of brewing coffee putting him at ease. He occasionally watched the window to see if it had started raining, but he had no such luck yet./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"With the threat of rain and the humidity of the outside, they stayed relatively slow that day. They only had about three regulars in the shop by the time the other two showed up to take over. It still hadn't started raining at this point, and Tamaki was beginning to wonder if it really was just his luck that it would be raining when he started home. He sighed a bit and started cleaning some of the counters while they waited for someone else to show up. Luckily, a familiar face entered the shop to distract him from his own thoughts./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned as he stepped up to the counter and up to a now slightly blushy Tamaki. Tamaki was glad for the distraction, but didn't even think about what he'd do if Mirio ended up entering the building. Luckily, the blonde didn't seem nearly as flustered and got right down to business./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Two coffees, just like yesterday please!" He asked and Tamaki didn't even have to relay the message before Tooru was working on it. He stared up at the taller man and his blush darkened a bit./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Are you going to become a new regular of ours?" Ma asked as she came out of the back room, very easily startling Tamaki. Mirio chuckled and leant on the counter again, like he did before, but this time Tamaki was suddenly very aware of how close they were./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I hope so! The coffee here is really good!" Mirio grinned and glanced down at Tamaki momentarily before looking back at Ma. "My dad and I were actually wondering if you catered at all?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, not normally, but it all depends on the situation." Ma hummed and came up to stand next to the raven haired man./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, we're opening the store next week and we were just wondering if you could provide some coffee and lemonade for us? We would pay you of course!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We can absolutely do that for you two! Plus it might bring in some new business." Ma chuckled and winked playfully at Mirio. Mirio suddenly stood up straight, much to Tamaki's slight disappointment, and clapped his hands together./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you! I'll come in later to talk about the details!" He grinned and stepped over to grab the two coffees. The blonde smiled over at Tamaki before he left. "It was great seeing you all again. I'll be back tomorrow for sure."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"And with that, he was gone. Tamaki looked towards the counter to try to get his heart rate and blush under control before anybody noticed how bad it was, but it was too late. He felt a playful push and noticed Ma smirking from the corner of his eye./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Did Mirio really fluster you that much?" She asked, and Tamaki froze up again./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""N-No- h-he was just r-really close is all-!" He barely managed to stutter out and his boss laughed./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""He really has his eyes on you, Tamaki~" Mina chirped and leaned up against the counter next to him. Tooru giggled a bit from where she was cleaning machinery./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's hard to miss, really." She added and Tamaki continued to try to return his face to its normal color, but it was nearly impossible with their comments. Was it really that obvious? Tamaki had noticed the extra attention himself, but wasn't sure if he enjoyed how obvious to the others the attention was./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Ma just chuckled and pat his back. "I'm sure he just wants to be friends. Why don't you give him a chance?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki didn't answer her and continued to calm himself down. He wasn't sure if he was really ready for a friendship with the person he just met, but at the same time, he was conflicted over the feelings he had towards the idea of it. He ended up just shutting down to keep the comments from the others from bothering him anymore. Ma frowned in concern of his silence, but didn't try to bother him anymore when she noticed him shut himself off. He only had to work two more hours, but it seemed to drag on for a long time. He would occasionally glance outside, and while it grew darker, it didn't seem to have started raining quite yet. Though he was looking forward to the end of his shift, he didn't even notice when it ended and Ma gently reminded him that it was over. She walked up to him as he was clocking out./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Maybe you should take tomorrow off. Take some time to get your thoughts sorted before coming back to work?" She suggested, leaning against the wall as Tamaki pulled his jacket on. He glanced at her before shaking his head./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll be alright...I promise." He managed a weak smile as he replied to her. She could see right through it though and she shook her head./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nope, I'm actually going to insist that you take tomorrow off! You work so hard here that you deserve an extra day to yourself." The older woman smiled warmly at him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I need to make sure you're mentally well before coming back into work."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled a bit more genuinely as he hugged her carefully. "Thank you...I'll uh...take tomorrow off then."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Good! I'll see you back here on Friday!" She grinned and turned to let him leave, though she turned back to watch him leave the building. She really did think of him almost like a son, just like she thought of the other two girls like her own daughters. If anything happened to them, she would be devastated. Ma just sighed softly and returned back to work with the other two after the door shut behind the raven haired man./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Of course it was raining when he walked out of the shop. It really was just his luck. Tamaki grumbled in frustration over the fact that he didn't grab his umbrella before he left as he threw his hood over his head and made a run for the nearest shelter, which happened to be a sheltered bus stop near by. Since he wasn't looking up to avoid getting water in his eyes, he hadn't noticed there was anybody else under the stop and he ran right into a firm chest. Shaking off his daze he back up quickly to apologize./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki ended up trailing off as he looked up into familiar blue eyes./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" Mirio smiled and Tamaki could feel his heart leap nearly out of his chest both out of embarrassment and bashfulness and he immediately wanted to hide./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio smiled as he stepped back into the unopened flower shop with the two coffees in hand. He handed one to his father before returning to the box he had previously been unpacking. The blonde was facing the window, so he was able to see how dark it had become, but it hadn't dampened his spirit at all. Now that all the boxes had made it to the store, they were able to start setting up the store proper. He could hear his father humming in the background as he sipped his drink./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""So? Are they willing to provide drinks for 0 us?" Mirio heard his father ask from behind him and he turned with a smile./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Yup! I'm going to go back in tomorrow to discuss details with her, but the owner said she would be happy to help. I think we're set for refreshments now since Inko said she would help as well. Now we just have to get this store setup before the flowers get here next week!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father held his thumb up and grinned as well. "Perfect! Things seems to be going well for us so far!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio nodded and turned back to his box. It still had't started raining yet, but he knew it would start soon. He finished off his now lukewarm coffee and finished unpacking the box. It was a nice kind of quiet in the store. They normally would have music playing in the background, but neither of them needed it as they were both lost in their own thoughts. Mirio especially as he was still thinking about Tamaki. Every time the man passed through his mind, he could swear he felt his cheeks heat up a bit and it's been a miracle that his father has either never noticed or hasn't said a word about it. The blonde sighed lightly as he remembered how flustered Tamaki seemed while he was in their store. Mirio really hoped he could get him to open up a bit more. Maybe he could take him somewhere? To get to know him of course./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emLike a date…?/em/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio shook the thought of it out of his head. There was no way Tamaki would agree to it so soon, even if Mirio accepted the concept of going on a date with him. The best thing to do would be to just keep talking to him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emMaybe get his phone number?/em/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The blonde smiled to himself at his own thought. The raven haired man might be a bit more open to talking through text rather than in person. That might be the best way to get Tamaki to talk with him. He would ask for his number the next day, when he went in to discuss the catering details with Ma. With that thought in mind, Mirio happily continued opening boxes for the next couple hours with a new sense of vigor in him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The college student hadn't even noticed the time go by so quickly, nor had he notice his father stretching behind him, ready to call it a day. He only stopped when he heard the sigh coming from behind him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We've gotten a lot done for the afternoon. Maybe we should head back before it starts to rain?" Mirio turned to look at his dad, who was arching back to stretch. He stood from his crouching position on his current box./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I wouldn't mind heading out before the storm hits, if that's what you wanted to do." Mirio replied as he started towards his jacket and keys. His father nodded./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think we should. Why don't you go ahead and head out. I'll get the store locked up and we can meet for dinner somewhere?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Sounds like a plan!" Mirio nodded and pushed outside, the muggy air hitting him instantly. He took a couple of steps before he felt the first rain drop. It didn't particularly bother him until he felt it start to come down harder. He was almost regretful that he gave away his umbrella earlier that morning as he quickly shed his jacket and held it over his head for some sort of protection. Mirio quickly noticed the bus stop in front of him and made a break for it. He would just wait out the rain storm and hoped that it would move out quickly enough. The blonde was grateful that the shelter was empty as he was nearly soaking wet./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio began shaking off the built up water on his jacket as he stood waiting for the rain to pass. It was difficult to see much of anything with how heavy the rain was, so he didn't even see Tamaki running towards the bus stop until the smaller man had run right smack into his chest. Mirio blinked dazedly as he watched Tamaki back up quickly, probably not even having realized who he ran into./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki began as he finally looked up to realize who he ran into. The blonde smiled sheepishly./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" he held a hand up in greeting./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio laughed softly and looked out at the rain, trying to keep the atmosphere from getting too awkard. "So you got caught in the rain too?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The shorter man bit the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out how to reply to him. "I'm sorry for running into you…"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm not bothered by it!" Mirio quickly brushed off the apology and watched Tamaki relax a bit. They stood in silence for a couple moments while they tried to think of something to say to the other. IMirio looked over at the other man, watching him quietly. Tamaki was nervously hugging himself, his cheeks slightly red, though Mirio couldn't tell if it was from running through the rain or from their interaction. The blonde let out a sigh, needing to break the silence. "So...I didn't realize you got off early today!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki startled a bit at the sudden comment, but quickly recovered. He looked downwards as he thought of how to reply. "Well, I don't have to work all day everyday."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose that's a good thing! Dad and I wanted to get out before the storm, but I suppose that didn't work out in our favor," Mirio chuckled and smiled down towards Tamaki. The black haired man looked up shyly and managed a small, but genuine smile. Mirio felt his cheeks grow warm at the sight of the smile and quickly looked away before Tamaki could notice. He suddenly remembered his idea from earlier and as it was still raining, he figured there was no better time than now. "Oh, um, I had a question for you, if you don't mind./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki felt himself start to panic, though he wasn't sure why. "G-Go ahead…"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Do you think we could exchange phone numbers? I would really like the chance to get to know you, if that's okay with you…"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh, um…" Tamaki bit the inside of his cheek again and tried not to freeze up. The question was different, and better than what he thought it was going to be, but he was still nervous. He was a private person in life, but then he thought back to what Ma had told him before he left work. Maybe a friend wouldn't be so bad, especially if that friend was Mirio. It would just take him some time to get used to. Taking a deep breath he nodded. "O-Okay."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned, not expecting him to have said yes, but now that he has he was overjoyed. He quickly took his phone out of his pocket. "G-Great! Here, you can put your number in my phone and I'll text you later so you have my number!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The raven haired man smiled lightly at the enthusiasm of the other man. He took his phone carefully and put his phone number in it before handing it back to him. Mirio glanced at it before slipping it back into his pocket. "Thank you, Amajiki-kun!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You can just call me Tamaki, actually…" Tamaki mumbled softly, not used to his last name being used so often. The blonde looked surprised for a moment at the idea of being on a first name basis with him, but warmed up to it quickly./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Alright! You can call me Mirio then!" He replied and looked back outside of the shelter. The rain had let up considerably while they had been talking, and some bits of sun were able to shine through. "Well, would you look at that, the sun's coming back out!"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It is…" Tamaki nodded and took off his jacket. He let out a sigh and looked over towards Mirio, who was once again smiling at him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I should head out. I'm meeting my dad for dinner tonight, so I should get home to change."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I should go too...my cousin is probably dying of hunger back at my apartment…" Tamaki replied and felt his lips tug up into a small smile at the thought. Mirio held a hand up as he walked away./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll see you later then?/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm sure you will." Tamaki waved back and left the shelter for his own apartment. It then hit him that he managed to get through a conversation with the other person without shutting down. He counted it as a personal victory and continued home. Mirio, on the other hand, was in a sunny mood. He managed to get more than a couple sentences out of Tamaki and he had managed to get his phone number. He would have to remember to text him after he got back from dinner. Despite the rain, it turned out to be a good day for the both of them./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki pushed open the door to his apartment and groaned softly to himself as he realized that Kirishima wasn't the only guest he had over. He frowned over at the couple lounging over on his couch. It wasn't so much as lounging as it was Kirishima trying to get his boyfriend to cuddle with him, but to no avail. Though when he heard the door open, the redhead turned his attention to Tamaki./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""T-Tamaki! I-I'm sorry I didn't ask before inviting him over-" he quickly tried to apologize, but the raven haired man held up a hand to stop him./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's alright, really."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I-It is? Oh thank you! Though, I didn't end up making lunch for us since he came over…" Kirishima smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll order us takeout."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki nodded and went to hang his jacket up as the teen went for the phone. Kirishima smiled over at him. "Did you have a good day otherwise?"/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled lightly to himself and sat down in the loveseat next to the couch, as far away from Bakugo as he could. He thought back to the encounter in the rain and shrugged. "I think I made a new friend today."/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's good news! A sign you're doing better, yeah?" Kirishima smiled and without waiting for an answer, went to grab a takeout menu that Tamaki had saved away./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki relaxed into his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He had indeed made a new friend, a friend who was actually interested in getting to know him and had a sunny personality to make up for Tamaki's more downcast demeanor./p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emA friend...who almost shines like the sun…!/em/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto 1.286em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongAhhh, I don't do very well with endings I feel like. I hope it wasn't too awkward of a chapter for you to get through! I'm rather proud of myself word count wise, since it was a whole page and a half longer than last chapter. I'm not sure when I'll have chapter 3 up, since I have a slew of exams coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I'll get started on it as soon as I possibly can!/strong/p  
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongOther than that, I don't have any other notes, so I'll leave it there. Thanks again for reading, and again, leave some love if you enjoyed it!/strong/p  
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongI should really finish these during times I don't have to sleep or rush right off to a class ^^'/strong/p 


	3. Chapter 3

**And here's chapter 3! Nejire enters the fray! I won't say much more than that other than you might notice things start getting a little more tense between the boys!**

 **Nejire** : Tamaki-Kun~ Wake up!  
We're going shopping~  
 **Nejire** : Tamaki-Kun! (´;ω;｀)  
 **Nejire** : I'm outside your apartment! *3 missed calls from Nejire*

Tamaki groaned softly as he heard the low thudding coming from his front room. He couldn't imagine why anybody would be trying to wake him up so early in the morning, but one glance at his phone for the time gave him his answer. He rolled out of bed and shivered a bit when his feet touched the chilly floor. Without changing out of his nightshirt and sweats from the night before, he made his way to answer the door. He noticed that Bakugo was still asleep on the couch, though the pillow over his head led him to believe that he was trying to ignore the person at the door.

Sorry Katsuki-Kun, I'll try to keep this brief…

Tamaki ran a hand across his face tiredly before opening the door to Nejire Hadou, arguably his closest friend. She didn't even wait for him to say anything before rushing in for a hug.

"Tamaki-kun! Hey, hey, didn't you know I was trying to text you all morning?" She squealed. The raven haired man managed to wiggle out of the hug so he could shut the door. He glanced over and started panicking as he noticed Bakugo start to wake up.

"N-Nejire, we need to be qui-" He tried to whisper, but it was too late. He could feel the cold glare aimed towards the two of them.

"Why the fuck are you two so loud! I'm trying to fucking sleep, assholes!" Katsuki growled before getting up and sauntering towards the guest room, mumbling something about how sleeping with shitty hair was better than this. Tamaki groaned again and gestured towards the couch for Nejire.

"Please sit...let me go get changed..." He mumbled and watched Nejire happily sit down before going back to his room. He felt incredibly guilty for waking Bakugo up, but he tried not to dwell on it as he changed into a t-shirt and jeans. He didn't take any more than five minutes before walking back out to join Nejire in the other room. "Where are you taking me today?"

"Hey, what did I tell you about your hair?" She got up and went over to try to comb through his hair with her fingers. He cringed a bit, but let her do it, despite the fact that it wouldn't do anything to the usually unruly mess on his head. She gave up after only a moment and slipped her arm through his. "I'm taking you to the mall today!"

"How did you figure out that I wasn't working?" Tamaki frowned as his friend dragged him out of his apartment. He barely managed to grab his keys before the door shut behind him. Nejire giggled softly as he forcefully stopped her so her could lock his door.

"I was walking by your coffee shop and so I stopped in to see you, but your boss said you had today off. So I decided to come over here since I knew you would still be asleep, despite the fact that it's ten in the morning already!" The blue haired girl replied, speaking quickly as she grabbed his hand again and dragged him away. Tamaki tried to keep up with her, but she was walking too fast so it really was more like dragging rather than leading. She led him out of the apartment complex and to the nearest bus stop. "You really do need to get out of your building on your free days."

"I actually enjoy relaxing at home once and awhile, Nejire…" Tamaki replied with a sigh. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. She finally had stopped dragging him and they were now just waiting for the bus. It didn't take too long for the bus to show up and the two of them climbed into it. She continued to hold his hand though, so they didn't separate and so he wouldn't panic. Tamaki was still rather uncomfortable with how crowded it was, and he could only guess it was going to get worse when they got to the mall. Nejire ushered him into a seat away from the other people and he mentally thanked her for it. He pulled his phone out to text Kirishima where he had gone before focusing on staring intently into his lap. He knew Nejire was speaking, but she never notices when he's not paying attention. It carried on like that until they got to the mall, in which she proceeded to haul him off of the bus.

"Hey, come on Tamaki~ It isn't too busy yet!" Nejire grinned and linked arms with him, this time careful not to lose him. She ended up dragging him into a bakery to get breakfast. While they were in line, the bubbly girl quickly started talking to get Tamaki to stay relaxed. "So my boss asked me out, did you know? She's cute so I said yes, of course. Work became so much easier now that we've acknowledged our relationship. What about you? Is everything good with you? Have you met anyone, huh?"

The raven haired man smiled a bit at how easily she made it for him to open up, even if he allowed her to talk for the most part. Tamaki allowed her to lead him out of the bakery as he tried to think of how to explain his past couple of days. "Well...work is okay, and there's a new shop opening next to the cafe."

"Ooh, new shop? What is it? Is it a bakery? Another coffee shop? No that'd be silly...is it a sandwich shop? Maybe a spa?" Nejire immediately started trying to guess what it was, which actually caused Tamaki to laugh a bit. At this point, they were just wandering past stores.

"None of those. It's a flower shop, actually. It's being run by a father-son duo. They're pretty nice…" Tamaki couldn't help but smile as he thought about Mirio, but he also couldn't help the blush that dusted his cheeks. Nejire noticed it immediately. She may be a bit airheaded at times, but not when it came to her best friends.

"Is he cute?"

"W-What?"

"Hey, is he cute? He's making you smile!" Nejire poked his cheek with a grin. Tamaki could feel his cheeks warm up even more.

"I-It's not like that, N-Nejire!" He stammered and looked away from her nervously. She just stared at him for a moment before shrugging.

"If you say so. I'm glad you've made a new friend, though. I'd like to meet him. Ooh! Maybe we can all be friends!" Tamaki sighed out in relief after hearing her return to her normal, bubbly self. With his luck, she got distracted by a store they were passing and they dropped the topic entirely as she dragged him into it.

Mirio didn't know what to do with himself on his supposed day off. His father had come down with a summer cold and didn't want him to work the store by himself, so he had a whole day of free time. He considered visiting the coffee shop that day, just to say hi and see Tamaki, but he didn't want to seem creepy. He still hadn't texted Tamaki, despite having his phone number.

The blonde sighed out and collapsed on his couch out of boredom. He had already exhausted the tv option, and he had already checked his phone numerous times to see if Tamaki had texted him first. Which he hadn't. He opened a new message and pulled up Tamaki's contact, deciding to just go for it. He gulped and stared at the screen, which just had a simple hello, but he just couldn't send it. Mirio nearly threw his phone across the room in frustration. Suddenly a thought struck him and he sat up quickly. He could go to the mall. It wasn't too far from his apartment and he wanted to get a gift for Eri anyway. Maybe something for his neighbors as well. That way he wouldn't have to think about Tamaki or try to worry about texting him that day. That would be an issue for later him.

With his mind made up, he quickly slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys before leaving his apartment. Mirio ran to catch the approaching bus and managed to get into it before it left. He took another glance at his phone as the bus started moving again, but frowned as there were no updates. Of course, he wasn't expecting anything, so he wasn't sure why the wave of disappointment passed through him. The blonde put his phone away in his pocket and stared out of the window at the quickly passing scenery.

What if Tamaki thinks that I don't care enough to text him?

Mirio groaned inwardly at his own thought and reached for his phone again. He would have pulled it out if it weren't for the bus screeching to a stop. The fact that it was his stop at the mall saved him from another round of just staring at his phone, waiting for something to happen without actually doing anything. Mirio thanked the driver before getting off the bus with the large group of other people doing the same thing. He smiled, forcing himself to forget about Tamaki for the day before making his way into the large building. He had no idea where to go first, so he just started wandering. Maybe he would pick up something for his apartment. Make it more homely. He didn't have much time to muse, however, as a familiar sight stopped his thoughts right in their tracks.

He told himself not to think about Tamaki while he was out shopping for himself, but it was hard to not do that when the man was walking right ahead of him. He had his arms linked with a girl who was talking animatedly to him. The two of them together like that was suggestive enough, and it wouldn't have bothered Mirio if it weren't for the small, but obvious smile on Tamaki's face as the two of them talked. He had no reason to be jealous. Hell, he couldn't even text the man, let alone pull up the confidence to ask him out. Instead, he just pushed those feelings away, plastered a large smile on his face, and shouted out Tamaki's name, causing the pair to stop walking to turn towards him.

Tamaki felt a certain mix of feelings of dread and shyness creep into his system as he heard his name called out by a familiar voice. He wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence that Mirio found him there, or if it was just fate that they were going to meet each other on a daily basis. With an inward sigh, he turned towards the blonde, Nejire doing the same.

"Is this who you were talking about, Tamaki~?" She chirped and stepped forward to eagerly introduce herself when the time came. She wasn't about to mention seeing the blush that flushed his face as Mirio approached them. Tamaki wanted to hide away somewhere, but didn't want to seem rude at the same time, and he knew how easy it was to get lost in the mall. He just ended up twisting the end of his shirt nervously as Mirio approached them.

"I didn't think I'd see you here today! What a coincidence!" He said with a grin. He looked over at Nejire, now able to get a better look at her. She was cute and seemed very bubbly. He wasn't sure if Tamaki had a type, but she didn't seem like she would be it. The girl suddenly stepped forward and held out a hand. Mirio shook it and introduced himself. "I'm Mirio Togata."

"The name's Nejire Hadou. Tamaki's friend! I sorta dragged him here with me today on his day off! Hey, he was telling me about you and your shop! When does it open..." Nejire introduced. She was still talking, but at that point Mirio was lost in his own thoughts. She had introduced herself as just a friend, which had sent a wave of relief through him. He still wasn't sure why he was feeling the way he did, since he wasn't even sure which way Tamaki swung. Mirio shook himself out of his thoughts and started paying attention to Nejire again, who seemed to be finishing up whatever she was saying. "Anyways, do you want to walk around with us? If you aren't doing anything else, that is! I'd love to get to know you more!"

Mirio grinned at the offer. "Of course I would. I just came to look for a gift for someone, so it would be fun to walk around with some friends!"

Nejire squealed and walked between the two of them, turning her head towards Tamaki. She had a plan to get the two of them together alone later, but for now she wanted to get to know Mirio. "Did ya hear that? He already considers us friends, Tamaki! Mirio is such a nice guy!"

Tamaki smiled weakly, but quickly looped his arm through hers again to keep from losing the two of them in the crowd. He glanced over at the blonde, who at this point was now talking to Nejire as they got to know each other.

Friend…

It was still a weird concept to him that he and Mirio were friends so quickly. It took him months just to get used to his coworkers and Nejire with her quirky personality even longer than that. Not to mention the short period of time that they dated. It had been weird for both of them, but it ended up making them closer as friends and it allowed Tamaki to realize that he wasn't exactly straight. He sighed softly and allowed the two to talk, listening on and off to their conversation.

He hadn't even realized how quickly the time had gone by when he noticed his stomach growling. They had been in and out of stores, but the mall was huge so they really didn't get far compared to how much time had passed. Tamaki pulled out his phone to check the time, and noticed how late into the afternoon it had gotten.

"Um, Nejire? Do you think we could stop by the food court for lunch?" Tamaki asked, though his voice was nearly swallowed by the crowd. It didn't seem as if Nejire had heard him, but Mirio turned his attention to the shy man when he mentioned lunch.

"Hey, lunch sounds great! I didn't eat breakfast this morning, so I'm pretty famished myself! He grinned and Tamaki couldn't help the tug of his lips at how excited he sounded.

"Hmm...I'm not exactly hungry. Why don't you two go ahead of me while I shop for some personal items~" Nejire hummed. It was the perfect time to let them have some alone time. Tamaki looked towards her and was about to argue about how he could wait to eat, but she ran off in the other direction before he got the chance to say anything. Mirio laughed in disbelief as he walked closer to Tamaki.

"Is she always like that?" He asked as he ran a hand through his hair. Tamaki didn't say anything, as he wasn't quite used to being alone in a crowded area with someone he had only known for a week. Needless to say, he was trying not to panic and Mirio was quick to notice. "H-Hey! Why don't we go sit down somewhere and get food? I'm sure it won't be as bad in the food court since it's passed the normal time for lunch."

Tamaki only nodded and followed quickly behind Mirio as he led the two of them to the food court. He was right in the fact that it wasn't as bad as it was in other parts of the mall, and the raven haired man relaxed a bit. Mirio found a table for them in a quieter area of the food court and sat down.

"Ah, that's much better I think. Are you okay being here for just a couple of minutes while I go buy us something to eat?" Mirio asked with concern in his voice. He wasn't about to leave Tamaki if he was uncomfortable being alone, though the other man nodded.

"I'm okay…" Tamaki mumbled and pulled out his wallet. Mirio just shook his head and grinned.

"Just let me know what you want. My treat."

Tamaki blushed lightly and told him, and he insisted that he was fine giving him money, but Mirio just turned him down again. Before Tamaki could insist again, the blonde walked off. He sighed and leaned back into the booth that partially hid him from the other people that scattered the food court. It almost felt like a date, with the way Mirio was so adamant about buying his lunch. Suddenly it hit him that it had been Nejire's plan to get them alone. She would never normally have passed up the opportunity to get food with them. Tamaki groaned and laid his head on the table, mostly to hide the blush that was spreading up to the tips of his ears. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of other things, and he didn't even notice Mirio returning with their food.

"Is everything alright?" Mirio asked as he carefully sat the tray of food down past Tamaki's head. Said man raised his head up slowly, hoping his face had returned to normal so they could eat without it being awkward. Tamaki nodded as a late response to his question before reaching over to grab his food. Mirio slid back across from him, grabbing his own lunch. "I hope everything is okay...I didn't check, but I can go back if it's not what you wanted."

"...It looks good. Thank you…" Tamaki thanked him, not even checking the food before he began to eat. The two of them ate in slightly uncomfortable silence. Mirio glanced over at him occasionally. Tamaki ate with his head down, but that was probably out of nervousness more than anything else. Mirio frowned a bit, but then it hit him.

It feels like a date…

Mirio coughed to keep from choking as the realization came to him. The fact that he bought the man lunch probably didn't help anything. The blonde let out a sigh and put his food down. He noticed that Tamaki glanced up a bit from his own food. "So...a day off huh?"

"Well, I mean yeah...otherwise I wouldn't be here…" Tamaki huffed and started picking at the food in front of him. Mirio smiled and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Of course, of course…" he chewed his bottom lip for a second. "If you were done, would you maybe want to help me with something?"

Tamaki fully looked up at him at the question. "...with what?"

"Oh, well...I actually came to buy a gift for my cousin. She's in the hospital so I was gonna get her something to cheer her up. Would you maybe want to help me find something? I was thinking you might know these stores a little better…" Mirio explained.  
"I guess I could try…" Tamaki mumbled. "There's a toy store not too far from here…"

"Great! Whenever you're finished, just let me know! No rush, though!" Mirio grinned and leaned back into his side of the booth. Tamaki relaxed a bit more and actually managed a small smile. He could tell Mirio was trying his best while it was just the two of them. He picked at the food he had left on his tray before pushing it back a few moments later.

"I'm ready whenever you are…" Tamaki said with a sigh and nod. The two of them got up from the booth and Mirio paused to throw their trash away.

"Lead the way!" Mirio came back with a grin on his face. The raven haired man nodded and walked ahead of him, leading him to the toy shop. It didn't take them long to reach the toy shop, and at that point he needed to say something to break the heavy silence between the two of them.

"So, um...what does your cousin like?" He asked as they walked into the shop. Mirio crossed his arms in thought.

"Hmmm...I guess what any girl her age would like. Cute things." The blonde muttered as he started looking around. Tamaki stayed close to him and looked around at all of the toys. He had never had anybody young to shop for, and he didn't particularly collect these things himself, so he hadn't been into a toy store in years. It was sort of surreal, but at the same time he couldn't help but look around at all of the toys. A soft looking teddy bear caught his eye. It was just sitting among a pile of different stuffed animals and had a soft pink bow around its neck. Tamaki walked over and picked it up.

"Mirio? Would this be okay?" He asked and Mirio looked over.

"Hey, that's perfect!" Mirio grinned and took it carefully out of his hands. Tamaki smiled a bit again as the blonde looked it over.

Nejire stepped out of the store she was hiding/shopping in and looked around. She was pretty sure the boys were no longer in the food court, but she wasn't about to text Tamaki to find out and ruin their time. Though luck seemed to be on her side as she noticed the other two in the toy store across from her. She took her phone out and snapped a quick picture of them, sending it very quickly.

 **Nejire** : Look how happy you look with him! So cute! (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

Tamaki pulled his phone out of his pocket as he felt it vibrate. Mirio was now looking for a book for his cousin to go along with the bear. He was happy to see the message was from Nejire, but his smile disappeared when he saw the picture she sent. He could feel his face heat up as he quickly typed a message back to her.

 **Tamaki-Kun** : I told you it's not like that!

Nejire was quick to reply back with a smirk.

 **Nejire** : Not yet at least ;)

Tamaki huffed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket right as Mirio was turning back around. "Hey check this one- are you alright?"

Tamaki took a deep breath and nodded quickly. Mirio just shrugged and walked over with the bear and the book. "Well, I'm ready to go. Has Nejire texted you at all?"

"Not at all." Tamaki replied quickly. The blonde glanced at him quizzically before shrugging and walking to the register. Tamaki followed after quietly, and after the items had been paid for, the two of them walked out of the shop. Nejire was quick to greet them.

"Hey, you two! How was lunch?" She asked, wrapping her arm through Tamaki's. Mirio laughed.

"It was good! I assume you had a good time seeing how many more bags you now have!" He grinned. The blue haired girl nodded happily.

"I did! But now I'm tired. Should we go?"

Tamaki was the one to speak up. "I'm tired too."

Nejire shared a knowing look with him and smirked. Mirio just shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I want to go check on my dad anyway."

The three of them walked out of the quickly emptying mall and went to the nearest bus stop. They managed to catch a bus quickly enough and got off at a stop somewhere closer to Mirio's apartment. The sun was starting to sink in the sky and the three of them were quiet for a while as they walked. Nejire was on the other side of Tamaki this time, allowing the other two to walk together.  
Tamaki was well aware of how close he and Mirio were walking together. He was fighting the fear that he could feel building in his stomach. The atmosphere was growing thicker between the two of them and he could feel their hands brush against each other. Electricity passed through him and he almost pulled his hand away, but refrained. Mirio felt it too and he had to fight the urge to grab the hand next to his. So the two just kept walking quietly, both aware of the tension between them. Nejire was the only one blissfully unaware of the atmosphere. After what seemed like hours, Mirio spotted the spot where he needed to turn for his apartment.

"Hey, this is where I've got to go." He smiled and they stopped. Tamaki bit his lip in slight disappointment. Though he was glad that the tension was broken for the moment.

"Oh...well, have a good evening…" The other man held up a hand in farewell. Nejire was quick to pull out her phone.

"Wait! We should do this again! Can I get your phone number?"

Mirio just laughed and nodded. The two of them exchanged phone numbers quickly before they were walking their separate ways. Nejire continued walking Tamaki home since her own place wasn't too far from his. They were quiet as well, but Tamaki was too busy thinking of what just happened to be able to talk. It was finally hitting him that there were definitely more than just feelings of friendship between Mirio and him, but neither wanted to acknowledge it. Especially not Tamaki. It scared him.

Tamaki was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realized that they had finally made it back to his apartment. Nejire hummed softly.

"Tamaki-Kun?" She asked and he shook himself out of his thoughts. He started digging for his keys and quietly mumbled an acknowledgment for her question. She leaned against the wall, looking out at the sunset. "Did you have fun today?"

Tamaki looked at her as he was placing the key into the lock. He knew the answer right away, but he took a moment to answer. Finally he turned the lock and answered her. "...Yes."

Nejire grinned and hugged him quickly before saying goodbye and leaving him to go back inside his apartment. He closed the door behind him quietly as he noticed his two guests napping on his couch. With a sigh, he slipped his shoes off and went off to his own room, collapsing on his bed. It was a good day, but days like this took a lot of energy out of him. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at it tiredly.

 **Mirio** : Hey. Sorry for not texting you sooner! I just wanted to let you know that I had a good time today! Hope we can do it again soon!

Tamaki blushed lightly and smiled at the message. He was afraid that Mirio had forgotten that they had shared phone numbers. He was a little slower with his reply, but he did reply.

 **Tamaki** : I had a good time too. Thank you for lunch earlier.  
 **Mirio** : Don't sweat it! See you at the coffee shop tomorrow?  
 **Tamaki** : Yeah, I'll be working  
 **Mirio** : Great! I'll be by tomorrow then (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

The raven haired man let out a soft laugh at the emoticon and held his phone to his chest. He didn't use them, but seeing his two friends use them made him happy. He ended up falling asleep with his phone close to him, and the thought of seeing Mirio the next day passing through his mind.

 **Ooooh gee, that was both longer than I thought it was going to be, but still shorter than the other two chapters. Things are starting to get interesting and Nejire is immediately noticing what's going on! I'm pretty awful with slow burns, but I won't tell you what chapter they'll inevitably get together. Expect it to be soon though ^^;**

 **Not much to say about this one, so I'll leave off with notes for the chapter. I still have so much more of this planned out in my head (not on paper of course), but if you have any kind of ideas just let me know! I'll see if I can somehow implement it into this story or maybe even incorporate it into its own oneshot!**

 **Thanks so much again for reading the chapter! Remember that if you enjoy the story, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed about it or how I can improve! 3**


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